First post, so forgive ignorance if the topic has been discussed. I've done a search and not found anything so here goes.
I am a MASSIVE fan of Sweet Chestnuts and want to grow my own tree, I've just taken ownership of an allotment so would like to use this if possible, otherwise at home. My question is has anyone grown one before? Do you have any suggestions on how to go forward? Has anyone used an RCB (Root Control Bag) on these trees to stunt the growth, and if so does it affect it's fruiting?
If I plant a Sweet Chestnut in an RCB is there a perimeter that will be useless for growing anything else, or are there plants that compliment?
Lots of questions, but I just wanted to open it up as a topic...
Cheers
Here's an idea?
Put it well away from veggie plants?
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0414260117113.html?5
We've grown a couple accidentally - squirrels planting in pots. We've kept them in the pots - but plan to plant out along the side of the field close to the house - they do grow very tall and quite quickly too I understand.
Lovely things to grow trees - my husband has grown oaks, horse chestnuts, walnut and beech.
Alison
Thanks Alison. Yes it's the size that initially concerns me, it's why I'm looking into these RCB's to control the size the root will support... I've not found any info on the web about people using RCB's to limit the size, nor the impact on the fruits...
Erm, I was reading the other day in Bob Flowerdew's 'No Work Garden'. I remember him being fairly negative about sweet chestnuts, but can't quote anything as the book's at my mum's house. Anyone want to read up on what Bob says?
Ken muir as always has the solution!
Code: 6029L
Root Control Bag
The recent introduction of Root Control Bags (RCB) means that you can grow large trees such as Walnuts, Chestnuts, Mulberries and Sorbus and not worry about how tall they are going to grow. The RCB restricts the tree roots, retaining the energy of the tree within. Only the white fibrous feeding roots find their way through the RCB. This prevents the tree from growing too tall and brings it into cropping earlier. If you move house you will be able to take your cherished tree with you even in ten years time.
Available throughout the year
Price: £5.35
Price exc. P&P
Yes it was Ken Muir's site that I used to discover the existence of RCB's... I have already submitted a question to them about the eventual size of tree I could expect, but they couldn't answer - not even a rough estimate, so I am not sure what to expect if I do go down this route.
What I am most concerned about is the size that this tree could still get too when you consider that without an RCB they can attain 120 feet without too much hassle (just time). I also don't know the impact they would have on the ground beneath the tree and it's canopy.
I live in an area where there are a lot of sweet chestnut tree's, planted by the local borough a good time ago - these trees are huge - but around the base there seems to be no bare patches of grass and there are shrubs and the like beneath the canopy that seem to be flourishing. I am just concerned that crops for food that require a good sum of energy (light, water and food) will suffer from a tree pulling in the resources around it.
I think I'm either going to have to plant this in a LARGE pot or give it a miss... Real shame as I'd love to have my own tree :(
Thanks for all the assistance guys/
Hello there
I think you will find trees are not allowed on allotments, but I could be wrong, maybe in pots is OK.
I should say I give you this advice as a practicing Forester. Sweet Chestnut trees will grow to 60 feet or more in the ground, thats two or three times the height of a house. The roots will spread at least the same as the crown of the tree and will take up moisture and nutrients. I dont think they will bear chestnuts untill about 15 years old, but this will depend on location.
I expect the idea of growing them in pots may work but they grow extremely quickly so I am not sure that you would get them to bear nuts. On the one hand if they are stressed, which they will be in a container, they are more likely to bear fruit, on the other hand they grow so quickly you are likely to have to prune or coppice them, which will promote vigourous growth and no fruit.
I have never heard of them being grown in containers.
Bear in mind that the chestnuts that you buy in the shop are mostly from Europe and are much larger than those grown in this country.
Do you perhaps live near waste ground, hedgerows or woodland where you could plant some chestnuts and let em live a little. :D
Maybe the Woodland Trust has a wood somewhere near and may let you plant one or two. I know they also like volunteers to keep an eye on woodlands.
Bye chance I filled my lunch box with chestnuts yesterday from round the entrance gate to a wood, rather than have them driven over. PM me if you want a few to try and grow. :)
Ivor
Thanks IPT8. I think I may see if I can get in touch with the woodland trust. There is plenty of free open space around, and woodland for that matter. Perhaps I can be a volunteer forester (I'll work for chestnuts ;))
Hi
I noticed that there was some chestnuts in the car park at work.
No idea what to do with the in terms of what i can do to eat them?
Any tips?
cambourne7
There are mature chestnuts on the way down to my plot; they're big trees which seem to produce a lot of nuts, though I've never tried collecting them off the pavement.
They are the best!
Find the biggest you can, just so that peeling has a bigger reward.
Wash them in water and then soak them for an hour or two - you don't HAVE to do this but it helps the shell peel away from the flesh after cooking.
Pre-heat your oven to 180oC. Whilst this is heating get each of the chestnuts and turn them so the flattest side faces up to you (if there isn't a flat side then do either) and get a sharp serrated knife, score an X in the hard casing so that it just penetrates and place it X up on a baking tray.
Chuck em in the oven for about 15 minutes. The X's will peel back making them easy to peel. Taste great just out of the oven, if your hands can handle the heat, and taste great cold !
Enjoy - harvest all you can now, wash them - dry them and store them in a cool place (bottom of the fridge is OK, if it ventilates well)
marshalls have got chestnuts, they say will have nuts the 2nd year after planting, growing to a height of 15ft after 10 years.
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20670&STK_PROD_CODE=1070-5658&CTL_CAT_CODE=M28918
At our allotment society you are allowed to grow, fruit, veg and flowers, what they dont like is plots left untidy, rubbish dumped on them.
Brilliant, thanks for that Simon, I'll have to check that one out - I should think that that one in an RCB would stay nice and small! :)
your welcome
Right then tomorrow i am going to go out and pick some chestnuts and make some chestnut stuffing at the weekend.
How long do they keep for?
Cambourne7
If dried and stored properly a couple of months without problem. They need to be dried properly first though - check on google for detailed ways - many people have many methods ;)
I keep mine in the bottom of the fridge in the salad crisper ;)
I picked a bagful of chestnuts today in a woodland where I walk my dog. I do this every autumn. I shell them first and freeze them. When I need to cook them, I boil them for a few minutes, peel the inner skin (whilte it's still hot) and use them for things like mont blanc. Yum! :P It's time consuming preparing chestnuts but well worth it. :)
Not tried it that way. So you remove the brown shell whilst cold (is it easier then?) Then freeze them - genius! When you say you peel the inner skin, are you talking about the bitter pith?
Just seen this - I've had a sweet chesnut in a pot for 13 years now, and it's survived. I grow it for the look of the thing, rather than in the hope of nuts, as there are a few wild that I know which do me well enough for nuts. The pot is about 70cm diameter, and the tree is about 1.8m tall. I don't feed it often, but find that it needs watering very thoroughly at least twice a day during summer, so irrigation is something to bear in mind if you do go for a pot. It's not been pruned, and is a lovely shape, and the sunlight through the leaves is a joy in summer.
Edited to show a not very good picture:
Quote from: dgillings on October 13, 2006, 16:59:15
Not tried it that way. So you remove the brown shell whilst cold (is it easier then?) Then freeze them - genius! When you say you peel the inner skin, are you talking about the bitter pith?
I remove the brown shell cold but it's easier if chestnuts are soaked in hot water for a bit. I'm just too lazy to boil water for it! ::) Be careful not to cut your finger while doing this (I did a couple of times :-\). And yes, I meant the bitter pith. It's much easier to remove the pith once chestnuts are frozen and then boiled for a few minutes. It becomes harder to do it when they become cool, so you might need to reheat it if you peel a batch of chestnuts.
Also I forgot to say that chestnuts become much sweeter after being stored at around 0C for at least several days. So if you want to have 'sweet' nuts in your freezer, store them in the fridge for several days before peeling and freezing. In that case, you need to put them (without peeling at all) in hot water (about 90C) for a minute or so to kill any moth eggs under the shell, and then dry them before storing in the fridge.
Sorry I'm not very good at explaining. Hope it made sense.
Frozen chestnuts keep for about a year so I definitely would recommend it if you love chestnuts. :)
I collected some nice fat ones in the south of France last week. I boiled them, peeled them, made a soup with onions etc and liquidised it. Very tasty and filling. I would never grow them. It takes YEARS for them to produce. There is a chestnut avenue near us where I sometimes collect a few bags. Because chestnut wood is so useful, most country areas have coppices where you can find nuts.